


Chéri

by Slecnaztemnot



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Damen is Greek, Laurent is French, M/M, Nikandros suffers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9020005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slecnaztemnot/pseuds/Slecnaztemnot
Summary: Chéri - darling, sweetheart in FrenchIn this universe, people have the Words on their arm. Those are first words their soulmate will say to them.Damen has a sentence that ends with a French word for darling, so he decides he needs to learn French in order to find his soulmate. But things are rarely as simple as they appear...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nayanroo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nayanroo/gifts).



> Many thanks to [Tresa-cho](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tresa_cho/profile), [Willwarin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/will_warin/pseuds/will_warin) and Tinka for helping me out with the fic. 
> 
> I tried to write a soulmate AU and long suffering Nik, with lot of side characters. I hope you like it, Lana! Happy holidays. :)

Everybody got their Words at a different point in their lives. There wasn’t any official scientific explanation – it was just how it was. Some people said that Words appearing meant that you were ready to find your soulmate. Others claimed it took time for the higher power to determine just who the best match was.

Some people got their Words as children, some near death and some never gotten them at all. But those were exceptions. Most found the first words their soulmate would say to them on their arm in their teens or as young adults.

Damen was sixteen when he woke up and discovered the new lines on his forearm. The script was soft and elaborate.   _ What’s your name, chéri? _

Damen felt his heart go faster. Chéri… that was French, right? Did that mean his soulmate was French? He immediately imagined beautiful, blond-haired woman, with easy smile and playful accent. She would caress his cheek and whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

***

„I want to learn French, Nikandros,“ Damen said to his best friend.

„What? Why? Isn’t English better? Nobody speaks French except for the French themselves anyway.”

„Well, French is such an interesting language, you see, and France is full of beautiful girls…“

Nikandros gave him a flat look. “Full of beautiful blonde girls, you mean? Well, if that’s your reasoning, you should learn Finnish. Finland is full of blonde people.”

“That’s not what I… Okay. My words appeared,” Damen admitted.

That got Nikandros’ attention. Nik himself didn’t have any Words yet, nor had any of other friends their age. Damen stuck his hand in front of Nikandros’ nose so that his friend could see for himself.

“What’s your name, chéri?” Nikandros read aloud.

“I looked it up. The last word is definitely French. It means sweetheart or honey.” Damen felt his neck going flush and his was glad that his dark skin made it barely visible.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be someone from France, though. They could be… I don’t know, Canadian. Or just pretentious nerds.”

“Hey, that’s my soulmate you are talking about!”

“That’s why I am sure they will be as hopeless as you are,” Nikandros said, but his eyes were full of mirth.

“Does that mean you will go to French lessons with me? Father promised to pay for them when I showed him my arm.”

“Yes, yes, I will attend the lessons with you.

***

To his surprise, French came naturally to Damen. The alphabet was different and so were the grammar rules, but it all made sense. And he loved the sounds of it. He often wondered just where his soulmate was and if they were speaking the same words.

He decided to pursue French even at university. His father wasn’t pleased.

“You can’t be serious, Damianos,” his father said. “You are supposed to be my heir. You have to choose something worthwhile. Why can’t you study economics like your brother?”

“You said it yourself, father. Kastor has already finished college and he can aid you in our firm. Why can’t I study something I like?”

“Languages are useless as field of study, Damianos. They should be addition, not something to concentrate on. What are you even going to do with it? Be an interpreter?”

“Maybe. I want to travel first, see the world. I don’t want to spend my life counting money.”

Theomedes scowled. “Do as you like.” And that was the end of it.

***

Year after, they still weren’t talking much. Damen called home from time to time, but his father was usually busy and curt with him. When Kastor picked up the phone, it wasn’t much different. They weren’t talking since that very awkward event of Damen bringing home his girlfriend and Kastor knocking her up few weeks later.

So when his phone rang and Damen saw Kastor’s name as a caller, he felt hesitant and confused. Why would Kastor call?

“Hello?”

“Hello, Damianos.”

“Kastor. How are you? How is Jokaste? Are there problems with the pregnancy?” He might have feel betrayed and cheated by the actions of his brother and his ex-girlfriend, but he was still concerned for their health.

“Jokaste is fine. It’s father. He is dead.”

“What?”

“He had a stroke. Probably a result of stress. Paramedics arrived too late to help him.”

“But… how…. I don’t understand…”

“Father left the firm to me. You should not come back. You aren’t welcome here.” With those last words, Kastor hanged up.

Damen felt unsteady. It was like some great chasm has opened and swallowed him whole. He always believed he and his father would reconcile and their family would be as before. So… why? Was this some kind of cruel joke of the fate?

He didn’t know.

***

“You should just go on that international study program, like I suggested.”

Damen was eternally grateful for Nikandros. His best friend always knew what to say, how to soothe him. And he was practical, as always.

“You need to clear your head, Damen. Being here is wrecking you. Take the opportunity and go to France. Who knows, maybe you'll even meet that soulmate of yours there.”

Oh right. The soulmate. It has been long time since Damen last thought about the words inscribed on his arm. Someone out there was waiting, wanting to call him “his sweetheart”.

“You are right, Nik.”

“I always am. Erasmus mentioned he is also planning to go to Paris. Why don’t you accompany him? You can share the flat.”

“Erasmus?”

“I am surprised you haven’t noticed him, considering his looks. You must be really feeling bad.”

Damen rolled his eyes.

“It’s the sweet kid from the first year. Blonde.”

Damen remembered Erasmus only vaguely, but nodded. “Yes, I should go to France. Seeing Eiffel Tower might made me feel better.”

“Just don’t let anyone push you off it.”

***

“You can’t room together, I am afraid,” the administrator said. His nameplate said he was called Guion.

“Why not?” Damen asked, exasperated. They had already waited two hours and only now had someone pointed them to their lodgings. But it seemed like their problems weren’t over in the slightest.

Erasmus looked terrified. The poor kid could barely speak French and he was out of his depth.

“It’s the policy. The foreign students have to room with French students at the dorm.”

Damen sighed. “Okay, are we at least boarded in the same building?”

“I will check.”

It was another fifteen minutes of fiddling their thumbs and waiting.

“Yes, you are in the same building. I will now show you your rooms.”

Damen was already wishing that his soulmate wasn’t French. They were pricks, he decided. They were in France almost full day and they haven’t met someone nice or welcoming yet.

Erasmus gathered his bags, his slim arms almost collapsing under their weight. Damen offered to help him before, but the young man was determined to soldier on.

“I have your housings confirmed from our dean himself. This late in semester there are barely any rooms left. We had to make some adjustments.”

Guion’s French was rapid fire, but Damen understood just fine. Looked like the long hours of watching French movies without subtitles paid off.

Guion led them through long corridors and to the third floor, only to finally stop in front of white door with the name “L. Rochechouart” on them.

Guion knocked.

The man who opened the door was the most beautiful person Damen has ever seen. His blond hair was to his shoulders and he wore a blue pullover, perfectly matching his eyes. However, the look that marred the young man’s features was anything but welcoming.

“What do you want, Guion? I am busy.”

“Your uncle decided you will have a roommate, Laurent.”

Laurent scowled. “We had a deal, Guion. You said I would be able to room alone.”

“We had to made adjustments, Laurent. These exchange students from Greece arrived late and we have nowhere to house them.”

“How is that my problem? Put this oversized animal in the shed for all I care.”

“Laurent. You shouldn’t talk bad about people who can’t understand you,” the administrator protested.

Damen understood whole exchange just fine, but before he could say anything, Laurent came forward a few paces to stand in front of him, gazing down at him with an unreadable expression.

“What’s your name, chéri?’ said Laurent, not quite pleasantly. His Greek was halting and awkward and Damen felt his temper rise. The words came out before he could stop them.

“Je parle votre langue mieux que vous ne parlez la mienne, chéri.”

Only when he finished speaking he realized just what Laurent said to him. And it looked like Laurent realized it too.

“Well, it seems like you will get along just fine. Come along, young man, you are housing with Nicaise.” Guion grabbed Erasmus by the arm and dragged him away.

***

Laurent was fourteen when his Words first appeared on his arm. They were written by sure hand and Laurent didn’t like the look of them in the slightest. “‘I speak your language better than you speak mine, sweetheart,” the Words said.

He absolutely loathed it when people called him that. His supposed soulmate already seemed like a pompous arrogant ass.

This whole soulmate thing was stupid anyway. He didn’t need anyone, he could get by alone just fine. Where was his soulmate when he needed him the most?

He put the Words off his mind and decided to concentrate on other, more worthwhile things.

And then a giant Greek man appeared at this door with the Words in his mouth.

***

Laurent didn’t want to talk about it. Sure, the man who now shared his room might be his soulmate, but who cared about that. Certainly not him.

The man introduced himself as Damianos and got his luggage into room. He kept stealing looks at Laurent, part wonder, part anxiety. His face was so ridiculously readable.

“So, uhm… Maybe we should talk about the… you know,” Damianos said.

“Well, I don’t want to talk.”

“We have to talk about it sooner or later.”

“I prefer later. Or maybe never,” Laurent said and grabbed his books. At this rate, he will never get his peace and quiet for studying.

“But…”

“But nothing. I am going to a library. You do whatever you want, unless that includes burning this place down.”

Before Damianos could reply, he shut the door in his face. Good grief. Can a man never get peace in this place? Did the uncle do this on purpose? He knew very well Laurent requested to be alone in his room.

This day was just getting better and better.

***

Damen should have known that his life wouldn’t be easy. The reason why he learned French and did lot of things in his life just turned out to be a prickly Frenchman who hated him on sight. Sure, he had read romantic stories like that, where soulmates had to overcome their differences to actually be together, but… none of this stories actually featured someone who had no interest in overcoming them.

He tried to talk to Laurent after his roommate got back from library. He tried it the next day during breakfast. And another.

Laurent would always respond with a glare or just ignored him. 

“So you are trying to woo our resident Ice Queen?” someone asked him after his request to talk was rebutted in third day in row, this time in cafeteria. It was a man younger than him, with curly dark hair. “I am Aimeric. Erasmus is in class with me. He mentioned you are having… difficulties.”

Damen wondered how could Erasmus mention anything since his French was weak at best, but Aimeric continued.

“But he didn’t mention why? Nobody tries to communicate with him anymore. Only his uncle bothers with him.”

“That’s not fair, Aimeric. Laurent might be unsocial but he is just studying very hard,” the other student piped in, slightly older.

Aimeric rolled his eyes. 

Damen almost told his two companions the truth but then he stopped himself. Laurent was very unhappy with the thought that Damen was his soulmate. Would he appreciate strangers knowing? They didn’t seem to be Laurent’s friends.

In the end, he just said: “Well, I am trying to get to know him better. We are roommates after all. We Greeks are hospitable.”

“Good luck with that,” Aimeric snorted.

The other man said: “I think you could get through him. I heard he used to be different as a young kid. I am Jord, by the way. If you ever need help or anything…”

“I am fine, thanks,” Damen smiled. He didn’t feel fine at all.

***

“So, Nik, you were both wrong and right.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“I did met my soulmate.”

“I can hear the ‘but’ following after this.”

“But he doesn’t want to have anything with me.”

“Him? I always assumed…”

“That it would be a woman? Well, his name is Laurent. He is few years younger than me, French and my roommate.”

“And is he-?”

“Yes, he is blonde. And has blue eyes. Also thinks soulmates are bullshit.”

“I was right about everything, actually. He sounds totally hopeless.”

Damen sighed. “What should I do, Nik? He doesn’t want to talk or even look at me. I try and I try, ask him questions both in public and in private and he just...”

The end of the line was quiet for a while.

“I don’t know this Laurent, but he obviously has some issues. People have reasons for dismissing soulmates. I would give him a wide berth.”

“Why?”

“Well, even if I hated the idea of soulmates with all my heart, I would still be curious, you know? Who the person destined to me by fate is. It sounds like he retreated to his shell because you are pushing. Start ignoring him and he will come to you.”

“You think that will work?”

“You can at least try it. The things you are doing right now aren’t obviously working.”

“You are right. Did I ever tell you you are the bestest friend in the entire world?”

“You did, but I like hearing it. Now let me tell you about whole that debacle with Makedon that happened last week…”

***

At first, Laurent was glad that his new roommate finally stopped bothering him. Damianos just said hello from time to time, but he stopped asking Laurent about his day, stopped suggesting study dates or real dates and didn’t talk at length about his life in Greece anymore.

He was quiet, did his own thing and Laurent suddenly found it even more bothersome than the constant nagging before.

Was something wrong with Damianos? Did he have problems in school? What about his family?

After two week, he finally broke down. Next time Damen appeared in their room with a ‘Hi’ and a smile on his face, he finally talked: “So, how was your day, Damianos?”

Damen’s face basically transformed after this question, delight obvious in his features.

“It was fine, it was fine. Jord lent me some study notes and we are planning to go on a picnic later. What about you?”

Laurent didn’t realized that asking the question would mean he has to respond too. “I… I did my reading and finished my essay.”

“Awesome. You can go with us later, if you want. Erasmus makes great sandwiches.”

“No, thank you, but no.”

Instead of pushing his point, Damianos just nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind, we have them pretty regularly. Every Wednesday, usually.”

Laurent watched Damen’s face, the smile that lit his features. He felt something strange flutter in his heart.

***

Next Wednesday, Damen and his newfound friends were having picnic again. They were just discussing which coffee shop on the campus offered the best coffee when Laurent appeared out of nowhere. His face was blank and he was holding a book.

Without a word, Laurent flopped down next to them on the quilt and started reading his book.

There was a moment of surprised silence.

“Hello, Laurent,” Damen said. Laurent nodded.

Erasmus got up with a hopeful smile and offered his sandwiches. “They are with tuna and olives,” he said. “I made vegetarian too.”

Laurent eyed the food critically, snatched one of the sandwiches and uttered curt “thank you.” 

And that was it, really. They got back to their discussion and left him be.

***

Laurent appeared next Wednesday too. And the next. At first, he was quiet, but soon he started joining in their discussions. His remarks were usually cutting and to the point.

“Well, Damen, if you wanted to avoid a fork in the thigh, maybe you should have avoided saying stupid things.”

“How could I have known Nicaise would try to assassinate me with the fork when I called him a ‘kid’?”

“It’s called common sense. I know you don’t have it.”

“Actually, I do. They sell it in Tesco and I bought it just yesterday.”

“You should apply it as soon as possible then. Or maybe don’t buy suspicious things  on sale.”

“Can’t help it, your country is ridiculously expensive. You want me to die of hunger?”

“You can live off your fat.”

“That’s not fat, those are muscles. Check it out...”

“Can you cut  off the ridiculous flirting, guys? I am trying to concentrate on studying,” Aimeric bit out.

“We are not flirting,” Laurent said. Damen thought he saw pink dust Laurent's cheeks.

“Sure you aren’t and I am not sleeping with Jord.”

“You are sleeping with Jord?” Erasmus squeaked out. “But you told me you weren’t dating yesterday!”

“We are not. Sleeping together and dating are two different things. For example these two are dating,” he pointed to Damen and Laurent, “but obviously not having any sex.”

“We are not-”

“Why would you even-”

They started talking at the same time.

Aimeric raised his eyebrow. “You should have a Talk, you know. Jord could explain you how birds and bees work. He is an expert.”

As if summoned, Jord appeared with coffee cups in his hands. “I should explain what, babe? Here is your coffee.”

“Nothing,” Laurent bit out and that was it.

***

Next Wednesday morning, Damen got a text. Aimeric and Jord couldn’t go on their usual picnic, reasons being “busy”. Damen had no doubt about what busy actually meant. He saw the hickeys last week.

But then Erasmus canceled too and other friends which Damen tried to invite were all unavailable or mysteriously absent. He even tried to reach Nicaise, but the kid wasn’t taking his phone calls. Well, that wasn’t too surprising, considering their latest interaction.

He contemplated not going at all, but how would Laurent know? Even after all this time, he still didn’t have his roommate’s number and they saw each other in their room only in the mornings and evenings.

Damen decided to go anyway and bought pastries which Laurent liked. He could turn it into an opportunity.

When Laurent arrived, he gave Damen very suspicious look. “Where are the others?”

“They all canceled on me.”

“Really. You didn’t persuade them to stay elsewhere just so you could have a lunch with me, did you.”

Damen sighed. “I know how this looks, but you can check with them. I even tried to call Nicaise if he wants to come, but the kid just ignored my calls!”

“Maybe because you keep calling him a kid. He may have skipped a few grades, but he is still old enough.”

“He is just a baby. Anyway, I bought you macaroons. I know you like them.”

He picked blue ones, with blueberry taste, so they would match Laurent’s eyes. Not that he would admit that aloud.

Laurent eyed the food warily, but then popped one into his mouth. “Hope you brought something else too, we can’t live on sweets alone.”

“Honestly, if I could…”

Laurent’s mouth didn’t change, but Damen could see his soulmate wanted to smile. It was in his eyes.

Damen unpacked sandwiches and they shared them in companionable silence. Laurent wasn’t engrossed in the book this time, just stared on the sky and chewed.

“Why do you think we have each other’s Words?” he asked Damen suddenly. “We are nothing alike. If you didn’t study French, we might have never met.”

Damen blushed. “I… might have studied French because of the words.”

Laurent stared at him. “I spoke Greek. Which I don’t know very well, but I doubt the Words are that sophisticated to pick up on that.”

“Well, you called me chéri at the end of the sentence.”

“You learned French and moved to France based on just one word?” Laurent’s tone of voice indicated just how ridiculous he found that idea.

“I actually like learning languages,” Damen protested. “I speak English, German and little bit of Spanish too. I didn’t do it just because… you know.”

“This soulmate thing is bullshit anyway. We didn’t even like each other when we met. And its supposed to be a romance for the ages?”

“Didn’t? Does that means you like me now?”

There were red spots on Laurent’s cheek and his ears turned red too. “... Maybe,” he said. “You are not as stupid as you seemed at first.”

“Coming from you, that’s practically a love confession.”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Laurent said, but he stayed where he was. When Damen touched his hand, he didn’t pull away.

***

Damen got a text later that evening from Aimeric.

“So, have you fucked him yet?” it said.

“We just held hands,” Damen replied. 

“I did all this so you could hook up and you held hands? Seriously? You make me cry, Damianos.”

“So it was your idea?”

“Nope. Nicaise thinks Laurent needs to get laid and you are the only one even remotely close to that goal.”

“Tell him to thank for the vote of confidence… I guess.”

***

Laurent actually let Damen touch him in the following week, but otherwise, nothing changed much. They still didn’t talk about the whole soulmate thing and Damen started to get worried. With the speed this courtship was going, he might not persuade Laurent to give this relationship a chance before he had to return back home.

He was contemplating his problem in their room when suddenly the door burst open.

It was Laurent, and he looked flushed and out of breath. His hair was in disarray.

Damen has never seen Laurent anything but composed and it shook him.

“Are you alright?”

Laurent was quiet for a few moments, taking his time to calm down.

“I am… I am not fine.” He sat on his bed, head in his hands.

“Laurent?”

“You don’t have to stick with me just because I am supposed to be your soulmate, you know.” Laurent’s voice was full of bitterness.

“What…”

“It’s all bullshit anyway. People love just some idolized image in their heads, not the person themselves. Destiny always screwed me over.”

“Laurent, what happened?”

“I am going to be kicked out of the university,” Laurent said. “Apparently Aimeric has proof I cheated on most of my exams and the dean… my uncle. Backed him.”

It took a few moments for all of this to sink it.

“They can’t do that! You would never do something like this! We have to fight back!”

“How? Nobody is going to believe me. I have no friends, no allies. And they have proof.”

“I will speak on your behalf, Laurent, you can’t just-”

“Damen. No, stop. They won’t believe you. You are my soulmate.”

Damen stared at him. Yes, he wanted to hear those words from Laurent’s mouth, but not like this. Never like this.

“I probably won’t be even able to stay in country if I want to make a living with my skillset.”

“Then let’s go away together.”

That go Laurent to raise his head and look into Damen’s eyes. “What?”

“I say, let’s leave the country. Your uncle, dean, whoever this fucker is, you can’t defeat him on his own playing field. You need to get away.”

“And here I thought you would propose daringly stealing the forged proof or some such…”

Damen snorted. “Well, I could bang Aimeric over his head, but that wouldn’t work, would it?”

“I supposed not. You would get arrested.”

“Your uncle is in charge here and he has all the trumps. So let’s go away and regroup.”

“Didn’t you say your brother doesn’t want to see you home?”

Damen waved his hand. “Who cares. I should have fought for my rights, not just let him get away with it. My best friend Nik can help us. His uncle Makedon has a big house, he can offer us a place. And then we can figure all things out.”

“That… actually doesn’t sound so bad,” Laurent admitted reluctantly.

“Of course it doesn’t. It’s a brilliant plan. Come on, I will help you pack.”

Laurent smiled. “You are really a better person that you seem on first glance.” He stood up and placed a kiss on Damen’s lips. It was dry and short and Damen didn’t get any chance to respond. Before he could start kissing back, it was over.

“Thank you, chéri.”

***

Everybody got their Words at a different point in their lives. There wasn’t any official scientific explanation – it was just how it was. Some people said that Words appearing meant that you were ready to find your soulmate. Others claimed it took time for the higher power to determine just who the best match was.

Damen didn’t think his soulmate was perfect or that they matched without a fault. But when they needed each other the most, they appeared in their own lives.

“As you can see, chéri, I was right. We just needed to get away for a bit, annoy Nik and Makedon and everything sorted itself out.”

“You mean we sorted it out,” Laurent said.

“With hard work and hard thinking.”

“And Paschal and Nicaise saving our hides at the last moment.” Laurent tried to sound stern, but Damen could see he was smiling.

“I hope Aimeric will be okay.” 

“I am sure he will. That therapist is the best one in France. And Jord and his mother will help him.”

“Are… are you okay, Laurent?”

Laurent sighed. “This takes time, Damen. You don’t get over bad things in a few weeks or months. But…”

“But you have me.” Damen kissed his forehead. “And we are made for each other. See, I even learned French for you!”

“Tu es absurde, chéri,” Laurent laughed and kissed him on the lips. Properly.

**Author's Note:**

> "Tu es absurde" - "You are absurd."  
> The French translation of the first words was taken from the French version of Captive Prince, so I hope they got it right. :D


End file.
